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Subaru Drives Integration Deal For 'Portlandia'

IFC, which is transitioning into an ad-supported network, is going further than spots and dots for the first time with a signature comedy. The
network has a deal for its first brand integration for “Portlandia,” where Subaru’s new Impreza will be baked in four times.

Subaru, which baked
“Portlandia’s” first season, plans to use the relationship with the show as a focal point of its launch efforts.

The Impreza will be featured in four “sketches,”
starting Friday with star Fred Armisen making an appearance. (Portland, where the show is shot and serves as a conceit, is a top-25 market for Subaru.)

Vanessa Benfield, who heads sponsorship
sales at IFC, stated that the network and auto brand have a “shared audience -- smart, young adults looking for out-of-the-box ideas, entertainment and products.”

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With 504,000
viewers in the 18-to-49 demo for this season’s second episode, IFC said those ratings were up 29% over the premiere. By one measure, IFC is up 11% in the demo this season in prime time.

The “Portlandia” brand has been expanded into a comedy tour with stars Armisen and Carrie Brownstein taking to the road so successfully, the network said it is adding more dates.